Measurement of the multi-TeV neutrino interaction cross-section with IceCube using Earth absorption
In: Nature, Jg. 551 (2017-11-01), Heft 7682
Online
academicJournal
- 596 - 600
Neutrinos interact only very weakly, so they are extremely penetrating. The theoretical neutrino-nucleon interaction cross-section, however, increases with increasing neutrino energy, and neutrinos with energies above 40 teraelectronvolts (TeV) are expected to be absorbed as they pass through the Earth. Experimentally, the cross-section has been determined only at the relatively low energies (below 0.4 TeV) that are available at neutrino beams from accelerators. Here we report a measurement of neutrino absorption by the Earth using a sample of 10,784 energetic upward-going neutrino-induced muons. The flux of high-energy neutrinos transiting long paths through the Earth is attenuated compared to a reference sample that follows shorter trajectories. Using a fit to the two-dimensional distribution of muon energy and zenith angle, we determine the neutrino-nucleon interaction cross-section for neutrino energies 6.3-980 TeV, more than an order of magnitude higher than previous measurements. The measured cross-section is about 1.3 times the prediction of the standard model, consistent with the expectations for charged- and neutral-current interactions. We do not observe a large increase in the cross-section with neutrino energy, in contrast with the predictions of some theoretical models, including those invoking more compact spatial dimensions or the production of leptoquarks. This cross-section measurement can be used to set limits on the existence of some hypothesized beyond-standard-model particles, including leptoquarks.
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Measurement of the multi-TeV neutrino interaction cross-section with IceCube using Earth absorption
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Autor/in / Beteiligte Person: | Aartsen, MG ; Hill, GC ; Kyriacou, A ; Robertson, S ; Wallace, A ; Whelan, BJ ; Ackermann, M ; Bernardini, E ; Blot, S ; Bradascio, F ; Bretz, H-P ; Brostean-Kaiser, J ; Franckowiak, A ; Jacobi, E ; Karg, T ; Kintscher, T ; Kunwar, S ; Nahnhauer, R ; Satalecka, K ; Spiering, C ; Stachurska, J ; Stasik, A ; Strotjohann, NL ; Terliuk, A ; Usner, M ; van Santen, J ; Adams, J ; Bagherpour, H ; Aguilar, JA ; Ansseau, I ; Heereman, D ; Meagher, K ; Meures, T ; O'Murchadha, A ; Pinat, E ; Raab, C ; Ahlers, M ; Koskinen, DJ ; Larson, MJ ; Medici, M ; Rameez, M ; Ahrens, M ; Bohm, C ; Dumm, JP ; Finley, C ; Flis, S ; Hultqvist, K ; Walck, C ; Zoll, M ; Al Samarai, I ; Bron, S ; Carver, T ; Christov, A ; Montaruli, T ; Altmann, D ; Anton, G ; Gluesenkamp, T ; Katz, U ; Kittler, T ; Tselengidou, M ; Andeen, K ; Plum, M ; Anderson, T ; DeLaunay, JJ ; Dunkman, M ; Eller, P ; Huang, F ; Keivani, A ; Lanfranchi, JL ; Pankova, DV ; Tesic, G ; Turley, CF ; Weiss, MJ ; Arguelles, C ; Axani, S ; Collin, GH ; Conrad, JM ; Moulai, M ; Auffenberg, J ; Brenzke, M ; Glauch, T ; Haack, C ; Kalaczynski, P ; Koschinsky, JP ; Leuermann, M ; Rdel, L ; Reimann, R ; Rongen, M ; Saelzer, T ; Schoenen, S ; Schumacher, L ; Stettner, J ; Vehring, M ; Vogel, E ; Wallraff, M ; Waza, A ; Wiebusch, CH ; Bai, X ; Barron, JP ; Giang, W |
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Zeitschrift: | Nature, Jg. 551 (2017-11-01), Heft 7682 |
Veröffentlichung: | eScholarship, University of California, 2017 |
Medientyp: | academicJournal |
Umfang: | 596 - 600 |
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